Bugatti reveals more photos of Veyron Grand Sport as production ramps up

Few cars carry as much prominence as the Bugatti Veyron, famous for its ultra-high price tag, striking looks and other-worldly speeds, but there will always be demanding customers wanting more. For them, Bugatti is offering an even more exclusive ‘roofless’ version labeled the Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport, which recently entered production at the company’s high-tech assembly facility in Molsheim, France.

To mark the production start of the new model, which will be limited to 150 units, Bugatti hosted a special day for enlisted buyers to test drive some pre-production versions at Cannes, in northern France in May and now that production is fully underway, Bugatti decided a tour of the countryside was in order. The new photos show the car touring the vineyard-draped hillsides of Napa Valley. Close-ups reveal some of the details both inside and out, while the car's white paint contrasted against the dark interior does a great job of highlighting the Grand Sport's topless nature.

We’ve been following the car for some time now as it first appeared on the auto scene last August at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance.

The very first build slot for the car, incidentally, was auctioned off at the Pebble Beach event to a wealthy buyer who paid $2.9 million for the privilege. The other 149 cars are priced at €1.4 million (approximately $2 million), but the first 50 cars have already been reserved for registered Bugatti customers.

Despite being labeled a roadster, the Grand Sport actually features a removable targa style roof that must be stored away manually before setting off for a drive. According to Bugatti’s communication chief, Georges Keller, the roofless targa option was the only one available because there was no other solution which could fit with the Veyron’s safety cage. Most low-volume supercars use targa panels because of the low cost of development and to retain the structural integrity of the chassis.

With the roof in place, the Grand Sport will reach speeds of up to 252mph (407km/h) just like the hard-top. Speeds of up to 224mph (360km/h) are possible with the roof stowed away, which will ensure the Grand Sport remains the world’s fastest roadster for some time to come.

For the full details check out our previous story by clicking here. Furthermore, Bugatti has previously released a number of special edition Veyrons, including the Pur Sang, the Sang Noir, the Pegaso, and the Fbg par Hermès.